The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) has released a series of public service announcements outlining how transgender Americans can protect their right to vote this Election Day. The PSAs, part of NCTE’s “Voting While Trans” public awareness campaign, aim to educate and prepare transgender people for how to vote in their state.

“New voter ID laws have created costly barriers to voting for manytrans people,” said Keisling in a press release. “And much worse, the debate about voter ID laws have made even the idea of voting harder so many of us may feel discouraged from even trying to vote on election day. Our message is don’t let them scare you into giving up your vote.”

According to NCTE, this year thousands of transgender Americans face being denied the right to to vote or having their vote discounted because of new strict photo ID laws. The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that more than 25,000 transgender people could lose their right to vote as a result of these revised laws.

“Every day, countless transgender Americans face challenges trying to secure IDs that reflect their true identity, and as a result, experience hardships in fundamental freedoms including the right to vote,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. “We all deserve to make sure our voice is heard. These new strict-photo ID laws will adversely impact thousands of already marginalized Americans, many of whom are transgender people of color, who may also be low income, elderly or have a disability.”

Yet another example of how the Tea Party isn’t just a bunch of crazies, but rather a sinister and organized cult with an agenda strip all rights from people whom they disagree. I wish we could write them off as nut cases. The LGBT community needs to work much harder at putting our people, and supporters, into positions of power to combat them. We do need to make sure that reason wins the day and that laws and precedents get set on the side of equality and not on the side of fear/hate.